The India opposition bloc led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge staged a symbolic impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of conspiring to steal elections. The demonstration was held at Kharge’s residence and followed a mock parliamentary format.
The India opposition bloc, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, staged a symbolic 'public impeachment' of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday. The event was held at Kharge’s residence in Delhi and followed a mock parliamentary format, with Kharge moving a symbolic motion for Gyanesh Kumar’s removal from his post.
Kharge accused the chief election commissioner of 'conspiring to steal elections' by ensuring the intentional deletion of 13 crore voters during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, citing a formal objection raised 14 times in 10 months by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. They had stated that some decisions related to the special intensive revision were taken without their knowledge.
Kharge further alleged that Gyanesh Kumar had acted at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a claim supported by other opposition leaders.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the mock impeachment. The event, originally scheduled for Friday, was postponed due to incessant rainfall in the national capital.
In his speech, Kharge also demanded that the 2023 Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office Act be revoked. The act grants a 2:1 majority to the government over the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, if there is a difference of opinion.
Apart from leaders of the opposition bloc, several persons whose names were deleted from voter rolls during the special intensive revision also spoke during the proceedings. One of them, Kanta Prasad, a resident of northwest Delhi’s Mongolpuri, alleged that he was marked as ‘dead’ during the special intensive revision.
Since October 2, nationwide protests have been held calling for Kumar’s resignation over concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission and the alleged irregularities in how the voter roll is being revised.
Source:
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